News and Views

We, as Americans, have a long, proud history of segregating music. Rock and country are white. Rap, hip-hop, soul, and R'N'B are black. Go further back, and jazz music was off limits to those of fair skin with and over-protective parents. Removing one word, "indie rock," from the history of music segregation will do little to change the musical landscape. No "indie rock" simply means people will need another phrase to describe music outside of the top 40, ideally, something less wordy than, "Underground rock music, and some electronic music, and a metal band or two, and every once in a while something popular like Kanye." Yet, what grates me the most about the whiteness of indie rock think piece in 2015 is that these writers are missing the big picture. On this very day, in the year 2015 of our lord, the two most exciting bands in indie rock/underground rock/punk rock/not top 40 rock, are lead by black men: MC Ride of Death Grips and Lamont "Bim" Thomas of Obnox. Read More

Top jams need no rationale. Top jams are self evident, like our inalienable freedoms. Every once in a while, we need a reminder how precious these things can be. That's it. Hell, I shouldn't even need links and embeds. You should take one look at this list and exclaim, "Hot Damn! Those are some top jams!" And, for one moment, you and I will bond in all that was righteous in rock in 2014. Obnox, had the most righteous 2014, indeed. Read More

Wednesday, September 3rd: Scott Weiland, I dare you, as in I dare you to spend money on this and not be disappointed @ Hard Rock Rocksino. Thursday, September 4th: Wilco @ Akron Civic Theatre. The English Beat, DJ Dubmatix, Backstage Politics @ Beachland Ballroom. Read More

Latest Reviews

Political punk rock comes with a unique risk. What if all the causes you've been championing have been overtaken by more pressing issues by the time your album hits the streets? In our era, dominated by hot takes and social media firestorms, remaining topical is even more difficult. When you consider anarcho-punk forebearers, Crass were left to question their own strategy after Thatcher began and ended the Falkland's War in the early '80s while the band worked for more than a year on the double album, Christ - The Album, a modern band surely faces an even more daunting task, right?
Who cares about Occupation Wall Street any more? In the past month gay marriage is the law of the land and the Confederate flag has (finally) become a poisonous symbol. A diplomatic, nuclear arms treaty with Iran has been agreed upon and a Cuban flag is flying outside of an embassy in Washington DC. The United States of 2015 is a far different place than the United States of 2012, when Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, and his long, dormant band, Desaparecidos reunited for a second round of incendiary arena-punk. Read More